Dispatcher School

All communications specialists employed by any local or state government agency whose duties include the dispatching of law enforcement personnel must meet compulsory minimum training standards established by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services.

The compulsory minimum training standards shall be attained by attending and satisfactorily completing the required communications specialists training at a certified training academy and completion of on-the-job training.

The Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy offers an 80-hour Basic Communications Specialists School for personnel employed by our participating agencies. The course includes lectures, scenario-based practicals and a final written exam based on courses such as:

Upon completion of the Academy training, the communications specialists return to their agencies for on-the-job training.

Please remind your students of the following:

Training will be conducted at the Arlington County Emergency Communications Center, 1425 North Courthouse Rd, Arlington VA, 7th Floor. The last day of class, which is the final test, will be held at the Academy. The instructor will advise the students of the correct time to arrive at the Academy on test day.

Students should wear appropriate civilian business attire. There is no cafeteria in the building. Students should plan to either buy lunch in the area or bring their lunch. A refrigerator is provided, and microwaves are available. Students must provide their own notebooks, paper, pens, etc.

The Academy also offers In-Service training for communications specialists who have already completed the Basic Communications Specialist School. Please refer to the In-Service Training pages for a list and description of the courses. For registration or additional information, please refer to the In-Service Calendar and click on the name of the coordinator assigned to the class.